Systems and Methods for Data Protection

1. A computer implemented method for applying copy protection to a software element maintained on a carrier medium, the method including: (i) accessing the carrier medium via a computer terminal, wherein the carrier medium includes: (a) an image area, being a primary storage location that is able to be copied to a second carrier medium; and (b) a non-image area, being a hidden storage location that is not able to be copied to a second carrier medium; (ii) reading data maintained on the image area of the carrier medium including the software element, the software element being defined by a collection of computer executable code defining some or all of a software application that is able to be executed by an appropriate microprocessor-enabled machine; (iii) reading data from the non-image data area of the carrier medium, the data including a pre-defined unique identifier that enables unique identification of the carrier medium; (iv) applying a predetermined algorithm to data read at (ii) and (iii) thereby to define a validation token for the software element as carried by the carrier medium; and (v) writing the validation token to the non-image area of the carrier medium.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of the image data maintained on the image area.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of an identifier maintained on the non-image area.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of the image data maintained on the image area and a parameter of an identifier maintained on the non-image area.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of the image data maintained on the image area and a parameter of an identifier unique to the carrier medium.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the data read at (ii) includes a hash of the data maintained on the image area.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the data read at (ii) includes a hash of the data defining the software element.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the software element is for execution via a casino-type electronic gaming machine.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the software element includes a casino-type game for execution via an electronic gaming machine.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-image area of the carrier medium includes firmware for allowing operation of the carrier medium.

11. A portable non-transitive computer readable carrier medium including: an image area being a primary storage location that is able to be copied to a second carrier medium, the image area carrying a software element defined by computer executable code; and a non-image area being a hidden storage location that is not able to be copied to a second carrier medium, the non-image area carrying an identifier unique to the carrier medium; wherein the non-image area additionally carries a validation token defined as a function of a parameter of the image area and the identifier unique to the carrier medium.

12. A portable non-transitive computer readable carrier medium including: an image area being a primary storage location that is able to be copied to a second carrier medium, the image area carrying a software element defined by computer executable code; and a non-image area being a hidden storage location that is not able to be copied to a second carrier medium, the non-image area carrying an identifier unique to the carrier medium; wherein the non-image area is configured to carry a validation token defined as a function of a parameter of the image area and the identifier unique to the carrier medium.

13. A medium according to claim 11 , wherein the validation token is defined as a function of a parameter of the software element and the identifier unique to the carrier medium.

14. A medium according to claim 11 , wherein the validation token is defined as a function of a hash of the software element and the identifier unique to the carrier medium.

15. A medium according to claim 11 , wherein the software element is for execution via a casino-type electronic gaming machine.

16. A medium according to claim 11 , wherein the software element includes a casino-type game for execution via an electronic gaming machine.

17. A medium according to claim 11 , wherein the non-image area of the carrier medium includes firmware for allowing operation of the carrier medium.

18. A method for operating a gaming machine, the method including: (i) receiving data indicative of the introduction of a carrier medium, the carrier medium including: (a) an image area, being a primary storage location that is able to be copied to a second carrier medium; and (b) a non-image area, being a hidden storage location that is not able to be copied to a second carrier medium; (ii) reading data maintained on the image area of the carrier medium, wherein the image area carries a software element, the software element being defined by a collection of computer executable code defining some or all of a software application that is able to be executed by an appropriate microprocessor-enabled machine; (iii) reading data from the non-image area of the carrier medium, wherein the data includes a unique identifier for the carrier medium; (iv) applying a predetermined algorithm to data read at (ii) and (iii) thereby to define a validation token for the software element as carried by the carrier medium; (v) comparing the validation token defined at (iv) to an existing validation token carried on the non-image area of the carrier medium to determine whether predefined criteria are met; (vi) in the case that the predefined criteria are met, allowing execution of the software element; (vii) in the case that the predefined criteria are not met, preventing execution of the software element.

19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of the image data maintained on the image area.

20. A method according to claim 18 , wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of an identifier maintained on the non-image area.

21. A method according to claim 18 , wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of the image data maintained on the image area and a parameter of an identifier maintained on the non-image area.

22. A method according to claim 18 wherein the validation token is a function of a parameter of the image data maintained on the image area and a parameter of an identifier unique to the carrier medium.

23. A method according to claim 18 wherein the data read at (ii) includes a hash of the data maintained on the image area.

24. A method according to claim 18 wherein the data read at (ii) includes a hash of the data defining the software element.

25. A method according to claim 18 wherein the non-image area of the carrier medium includes firmware for allowing operation of the carrier medium.

26. A method according to claim 18 wherein the method is performed via BIOS of the gaming machine.

27. A method according to claim 18 wherein the method is performed via software instructions maintained on a carrier medium accessible to the gaming machine.

28. A method according to claim 18 wherein the software element, upon execution, perform a validation check of the BIOS of the gaming machine and only allows further execution in the case that of a successful validation check.

29. A data protection method including: (i) identifying data indicative of a software element parameter of a software element to be protected, the software element being defined by a collection of computer executable code defining some or all of a software application that is able to be executed by an appropriate microprocessor-enabled machine; (ii) identifying data indicative of a carrier medium parameter of a carrier medium that is authorized to carry the software element, the carrier medium including: (a) an image area, being a primary storage location that is able to be copied to a second carrier medium; and (b) a non-image area, being a hidden storage location that is not able to be copied to a second carrier medium; and (iii) writing a validation token to the non-image area of the carrier medium, wherein the validation token is a function of the software element parameter and the carrier medium parameter.

30. A gaming machine configured to perform a method according to claim 18 .

31. A computer system including a microprocessor configured to perform a method according to claim 1 .

32. A non-transient computer readable medium carrying executable code that when executed on one or more microprocessors of a computer system cause the computer system to perform a method according to claim 1 .

33. A computer program product configured for allowing the performance of a method according to claim 1 .